Roman Catholicism: Retirement for 200 Bishops

In the Roman Catholic Church, great age has never been a bar to holding high office. Pope John XXIII was 81 at his death. Pope Leo XIII reigned until he died at 93. Celestine III was raised to the papacy at 85. Of the 97 current cardinals, 45 are 75 or older. The Vati can’s Prefect of the Congregation of Seminaries is the feeble Giuseppe Car dinal Pizzardo, 89. And under canon law, bishops, no matter how aged and ailing, remain rulers of their dioceses —although the church has traditionally provided coadjutors to assist them.

Worried by this vulnerability, the Vat ican Council urged diocesan bishops as well as parish priests who are “less capa ble of fulfilling their duties properly be cause of the increasing burden of age or some other serious reason” to resign voluntarily from office. Last month Pope Paul VI, who is 69, “earnestly request ed” that bishops and priests leave office on their own initiative at 75.

Resigning Cardinals. If the request is generally followed, the Catholic hier archy will be decimated. Spain’s primate, Enrique Cardinal Pla y Deniel, 89, sent his resignation to the Pope more than a year ago upon falling ill; it may now be accepted. Of the other Spanish cardinals, Malaga’s Angel Herrera y Oria, 79, sent a resignation that was accepted, and Tarragona’s Benjamin de Arriba y Castro, 80, reportedly offered to step down. Paris’ Maurice Cardinal Feltin, 83, said last week that he planned to retire, and Bologna’s Giacomo Cardinal Lercaro, who will be 75 next month, is ready to leave at the Pope’s pleasure. One U.S. prelate has resigned: Archbishop Edward Howard, 88, of Portland, Ore. By Oct. 11, when the papal directive takes effect, probably 200 of Catholicism’s 2,500 bishops will have resigned.

The papal request affects two U.S. cardinals, New York’s Francis Spellman, 77, and Los Angeles’ James Francis Mc-Intyre, 80, as well as 18 diocesan bishops. Though Cardinal Spellman has given no sign that he plans to retire soon, he has delegated part of his authority. This month he granted extensive new powers to six of his auxiliary bishops, putting each in charge of areas within the New York archdiocese. Other prominent cardinals who are 75 or older are France’s Achilles Lienart, Germany’s Josef Frings, Czechoslovakia’s Josef Beran, Argentina’s Antonio Caggiano and Italy’s Ernesto Ruffini.

What About Paul? Exempted from the retirement rule because they are curial officials are France’s Eugene Tis-serant, 82; Germany’s Augustin Bea, 85; and Italy’s Amleto Cicognani, 83, the Vatican Secretary of State.

After stating his request, Pope Paul inspired speculation that he himself might retire when he reaches 75. He made a pilgrimage to the castle of Fu-mone, near Rome, where Celestine V lived upon quitting the papacy in 1294 —an exemplar of a Pope who retired. Dante condemned Celestine’s abdication as an act of cowardice and relegated him to the antechamber of hell. Paul chicled Dante and enigmatically went on to praise Celestine, both for accepting the papacy against his will and for stepping down when he realized that he was not equal to the task.